Neon & No Apologies

For women who want to do more than merely test the waters, this season's swimsuits are built for performance as well as aesthetics.

But all this function doesn't mean that fashion has taken a dive. Colors aRe festive, even neon. The French cut, or high leg, is stronger than ever.

"There are so many active sports that revolve around the water," says Carole Lawrence, fashion director and special events manager for the Peninsula Leggett Department stores.

Credit materials like Lycra, often blended with nylon, which offers the stretch and support that make moving around a cinch.

Thank designers who've borrowed shapes from exercise gear for suit styles for the active life. Cropped and tank tops are among the more athletic looks popular especially for the junior market and available in one and two-piece suits.

"Misses' suits are picking up all the neon brights that have traditionally been junior mainstays," says Joan Smith, Thalhimers' fashion and special events coordinator.

Some suits combine a couple of these super-brights; others are accented with black. Much detailing is adapted from lingerie. You'll see underwire bras and sexy tops worn with or without straps.

Don't worry about what everyone else is wearing. You can dip into any style that suits you.

For those to whom less really is more, there are plenty of skimpy bikinis dangling from store rack hangers.

"We're seeing the resurgence of the bikini for the first time in a long time," says Smith of Thalhimers.

But women who want to stay covered up won't have any trouble. There are billowy halter tops, skirted suits, cummerbunds at the waist, and more covered two-pieces with cropped or tank tops.

Maroon trunks with a navy T-shirt just don't cut it in fashionable swim circles these days. The style of the trunks is conservative (remember Dad's?) but the colors are out of control.

"The girls will have to move over on the beach towel. Everybody's going to be looking at the guys," says Lawrence of Leggett.

Looks guaranteed to make a splash include:

* Neon brights or faded finishes. Black and gray are good accent colors. Choose from heavy cottons or quick-dry fabrics.

* Madras and plaid prints, in bold, bright colors.

* Color blocking or pattern mixing on the same suit. Look for surf scenes and asbstract prints. Stripes and flags are more conventional patterns, although even these standbys have been updated.

* French Polynesian prints and floral patterns.

* Emblems and logos on suits.

* Trunk lengths from boxer to knee-top. The latter is popular with younger men.

Basics don't have to be boring. Tanks and maillots can make loud graphic statements with features like stars, animal prints and Andy Warhol abstracts. Even basic black picks up impact from high-contrast stripes.

Volley shorts were introduced a few years back for volleyball players on the beach, but their practicality has since won many converts. Mesh pockets that let water and sand drain through, full-cut legs and liners are often standard features.

The cuts may be conservative, but the colors are still bold, in suits for the mother-daughter set. Suits you needn't be sheepish about wearing around the family don't have to look like a suit of armor.

The new styles are tailor-made for people for whom a day at the beach or pool means more than sitting in a chair absorbing some sun. For men, the longer leg styles popularized in California beach flicks are coming back. Hard-core surfers have rediscovered the board short, which comes nearly to the knees to cover the inner, upper thigh that used to catch on rough, wooden surf boards. Most men wil stick firmly to the middle of the road - an elastic-waist, full-cut trunk.